Chapter 2 –[ Hunter Agency 02 ]–

January 27, 2023

"So, you finally died, old man."

A handsome man with white hair stared blankly at the mound of red earth before him. A wooden gravestone was planted on top of it.

Lao Tzu, the greatest teacher.

The narrow-eyed man smiled thinly, more like a sneer.

"It seems you didn’t just hide from me, old man. You also raised an admirable student.

"Imagine, on the night of your death, I sent an Arch Witch to kill him. But what happened? Your student managed to kill the subordinate I sent. That boy is quite skilled in using magic. Ah, those green eyes of his remind me of something...." The narrow-eyed man tried to remembering something.

"Oh, that family. That unfortunate family. The one with pure magic users. So, all this time, you’ve been raising a monster, old man. Your habits are quite terrible. But I will still remember you. You were the first human to astonish me, old man. I’ll remember you for the next hundred years.

"And that boy... For now, I’ll leave him be. I have bigger goals to pursue. Farewell, old man."

The man snapped his fingers, and with a whoosh, he disappeared. The quiet morning remained until the mysterious man finally left.

***

March 1, 2023

"This is my report, Manager Jianying."

A man with square glasses carefully read through the report. His brow furrowed as he took in the contents.

"What happened in Nanchangtan Village?"

The manager's eyes were sharp, and the suited man who delivered the report grew nervous.

"All the Hunters I assigned to you were severely injured after being attacked by numerous magical creatures when entering the forest. And you're the only one left standing? It’s impossible for you to have hunted the rest without getting hurt. Who saved you there?"

The suited man was at a loss, having failed to provide a more detailed report. He had hoped to receive praise for successfully hunting down a dozen category two magical creatures and their Arch Witch mother on his own. But Manager Jianying was more meticulous than he had thought. Still, the suited man shook his head.

"N-no one, sir." The suited man stammered, cursing himself inwardly. He needed to be convincing somehow to get a promotion.

Manager Jianying continued to stare intently.

"Speak, or I’ll demote you from a two-star Hunter, Wan Chen."

Swallowing hard, Wan Chen quickly responded to avoid demotion.

"A teenage boy helped me exterminate the magical creatures and killed the Arch Witch. He claimed to be just an ordinary teenager. He could even use advanced fire magic and skillfully wielded a longstick." The suited man decided to answer swiftly before his rank was lowered.

Manager Jianying sighed.

"You realize, the media will spread this story. Because you, a two-star Hunter, were unable to defeat a single category two magical creature that was merely preying on villagers’ livestock. And instead, you caused numerous Hunter casualties in the forest. And to top it off, you were saved by a teenage boy coming from nowhere. I wonder how you still have any pride as a Hunter after failing such a simple task." The manager’s words were sharp, cutting deep. He looked at the man before him with disappointment. He sighed once more.

"But I did kill several of those magical creatures, Manager—"

"Silence! Stop talking. Now think about the responsibility you have. Apologize to all the Hunters who were seriously injured because of your poor leadership. Starting today, I’m demoting you to a one-star Hunter again. Now, get out of here." Manager Jianying was visibly furious. Instead of getting a promotion, Wan Chen faced a demotion. The suited man quickly backed out, leaving the office before the manager’s anger boiled over further.

Manager Jianying stared at the report papers. He murmured, "Nanchangtan Village...."

The manager stood up and walked out of the office. He entered the elevator, heading for the rooftop. A helicopter was waiting there, reserved exclusively for five-star Hunters to use at their leisure.

It was a Bell AH-1 Cobra, a combat helicopter armed with heavy machine guns, all enchanted to facilitate warfare against aerial magical creatures.

A pilot was already in position. Manager Jianying boarded and took a seat in the back.

"Zhongwei City, Nanchangtan Village, Fei."

The pilot, named Fei, nodded. "Understood, Manager." He started the engine and took control of the aircraft. The rotors began to spin. The helicopter slowly hovered before departing from the fifty-story modern building in the heart of Beijing.

A little backstory: Fei used to be a top multidriver in the military. One day, Fei was on a mission to destroy a suspected witch’s nest in the highlands of Tibet. He and three air force teams set out in super jets, Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon. The mission initially seemed smooth with no issues. The witch's nest, as reported, was wiped out. Unexpectedly, in an instant, the situation reversed.

All four super jets lost control. The engines malfunctioned inexplicably. The jets plummeted, crashing into the ground. They exploded, leaving only black smoke. The other three teams failed to perform an emergency landing. Only Fei managed to jump out before his jet nosedived. But the worst was yet to come as he touched down.

Though it was daytime, the mountains were freezing. Fei took a moment to rest in a rocky mountain crevice, trying to call for help. But nothing. Hours passed in the crevice. Horrifying monsters with human-like appearances, red skin, broken fangs, pitch-black eyes, sharp claws, wielding all sorts of weapons like spiked clubs, serrated swords, or spiked hammers. These creatures resembled the orcs or goblins seen in films. Panicked, Fei tried to fight off these monsters. But he was outnumbered and outmatched.

And then what happened?

These monsters had a habit of enslaving humans. Not just Fei, but many local villagers were captured and turned into slaves by these savage monsters. Days dragged into weeks, which became months. By the third month of being a slave with inhumane treatment, Fei’s body withered from lack of food. Some even had to kill each other to survive. Whippings, beatings, and the monsters' sexual urges were daily occurrences. And when a human died, they were offered as food to their king; an Arch Witch.

Three months felt like a nightmare. Fei grew sick of living. He began contemplating suicide. Finally, the Hunters found the hideout of these savage monsters.

A large-scale operation was launched, and a fierce battle erupted. The mountain itself trembled from the battle. It turned out the Arch Witch and her troops had been hiding inside the mountain all along.

After hours of fighting...

A Hunter finally managed to decapitate the monster king, the Arch Witch. And the one who wielded the sword was a man in his twenties, with square glasses, wavy brown hair, and a katana still dripping with the Arch Witch’s black blood. This was Manager Jianying, a five-star Hunter from China, Assistant Head of Division. That moment would never leave Fei's mind.

Everyone who survived was saved by him. It was a tragedy that would never be forgotten. To this day, Fei swore loyalty to Manager Jianying for saving his life from that hell. Since Fei was a talented multidriver, he volunteered to be Manager Jianying's personal pilot. Even though he was traumatized by witches, his loyalty to his savior outweighed his trauma.

Three hours of flight. Manager Jianying finally reached his destination, Zhongwei City. Upon arrival, Manager Jianying got into a car heading to Nanchangtan Village, a village near the Yellow River. His purpose for going there was clear—to find the young man his subordinate had mentioned. It was rare to find a young person with such talent in magic and combat. He was intrigued by that.

The day was starting to turn golden. Manager Jianying had reached the village. Without wasting any time, he began asking the locals about Sizhu.

"A teenage boy always carrying a longstick... Oh yes, I saw him." An older man selling food seemed certain.

"Where did you see him?"

"Well, last night, he came back here with his clothes and longstick covered in blood. A young woman brought him here because she was interested in him."

"A young woman? What did she look like?"

"Hmm... She was a young woman with long white hair, wearing a beautiful purple dress, and her face was very pretty, her skin looked very fair. They both bought food here." The older man tried to recall.

Manager Jianying felt familiar with the description. Who was this woman?

"Which direction did they go?"

"Oh yes, they left in a flying black car. Probably headed to the city."

Manager Jianying sighed. He was too late. But it seemed he knew who the beautiful woman was.

"Alright, thank you for the information, sir."

The old man replied with a curt yes. He picked his nose, indifferent. Manager Jianying quickly got back in the car, returning to the city. It seemed he would have to go to headquarters. This was a wasted effort, just tiring.

The car sped off, leaving the village grounds.

Headquarters of the Hunter Agency, Qincheng.

***

Nighttime. The sky was clear, without a single cloud, revealing the beauty of the stars above. Truly, the night sky was the best painting.

Sizhu's green pupils reflected all that beauty. He was lost in thought, recalling the events of the day before....

After finishing his hunt for the spider-legged wolves and their mother, Sizhu returned to the village, searching for food. His stomach growled loudly after all the running and fighting against those terrifying creatures. At least he had some money he found in the pockets of those suited men. Maybe the fried rice he saw earlier could fill his belly. Just thinking about it made his mouth watering.

"You..."

A young woman, beautiful and silent, stood before Sizhu. Reluctantly, Sizhu stopped walking. Their eyes met.

"The strong scent of blood... Ara~ you just killed a witch, didn’t you?" The beautiful woman approached Sizhu, making him nervous. She sniffed Sizhu up and down.

"Uh, excuse me, who are you?" Sizhu tried to back away from the woman, feeling uneasy. Did he really smell that bad? He had washed his clothes in the river just that morning.

The woman smiled, a captivating smile. "Twelve, and one Arch Witch. Ara~ it seems you're quite powerful. Where did you learn to fight?"

Sizhu began to look at the woman more seriously. How could she guess so accurately?

"Who are you?" Sizhu asked, full of caution.

The beautiful woman calmly replied.

"Would you like to work with me?" she asked gently.

"Why should I work for you?" Sizhu retorted. He wasn’t one to trust anyone easily. His teacher had taught he that.

Trust no one until their desires are clear.

The beautiful woman responded softly.

"If you work with me, I will grant all your wishes. How does that sound?"

Sizhu seemed to ponder for a moment.

Wishes...

What do I desire?

The answer was nothing.

Sizhu shook his head in response.

"I don't have any wishes right now," he answered, simply.

The beautiful woman was taken aback.

Eh? This was the first time she had met a teenager as unique as this.

The sound of a rumbling stomach interrupted their conversation. The growling was loud, an unmistakable signal of hunger. Sizhu blushed, embarrassed.

The beautiful woman laughed softly at the sound from Sizhu's stomach, which resembled a grumbling whale.

"Are you hungry?"

Sizhu nodded eagerly.

They took seats at the fried rice stall that Sizhu had spotted earlier. The beautiful woman kindly ordered food for them. They sat across from each other. As soon as the food was served, Sizhu devoured it—occasionally choking—looking like a person who hadn’t eaten for three days (quite literally).

"Ara~ Take your time. You can have as much as you want." The beautiful woman kindly poured water into Sizhu's glass.

Sizhu appreciated it, murmuring softly, "Thank you."

The beautiful woman smiled, a captivating smile. "You're welcome," she replied briefly.

Five minutes, two plates of fried rice, and a bowl of jjampong were gone. Sizhu’s stomach was satisfied. He looked at the beautiful woman across from him, who just sat there smiling as she watched Sizhu eat. Was she not hungry?

"Aren't you going to eat?" Sizhu asked flatly.

The beautiful woman shook her head. "I’m not hungry."

"I don’t want to work. Working is a hassle." Sizhu remained firm in his decision. He could tell the beautiful woman still had hopes.

"Mmm... In that case, I’ll change my offer. Come with me. You don’t have to work or do anything bothersome. All I want is you." The beautiful woman pointed at Sizhu.

"To where?"

"To my place."

For a moment, Sizhu weighed his options. Still thinking.

"I’ll cook delicious food for you every day, how about that?"

At the mention of food, Sizhu nodded eagerly without hesitation.

The beautiful woman smiled, pleased. She extended her hand.

"My name is Luxia, what's yours?"

"Sizhu." He accepted the outstretched hand, shaking it.

Their eyes met. Her purple eyes were like precious gems—deep, dark, and beautiful.

The moment of silence felt strange to Sizhu. Luxia let go of his hand.

"Let’s go, Sizhu."

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.